Mr Robinson - a former chairman of Coventry City Football Club and Jaguar Cars - assumed office after winning his seat in a by-election in 1976 following the death of Labour MP Maurice Edelman.

He has repeatedly insisted his intent to contest this year’s General Election - which would have been his 10th election and would have meant he was 81 by the end of the next Parliament.

Some Labour Party sources, contacted by the Telegraph, have hit out at the decision - suggesting it has been left late in a bid to circumnavigate the local democratic process and allow senior national Labour figures to parachute a candidate of their choice into a relatively safe Labour seat.

With no time for the usual local selection procedure to take place, senior Labour Party members will now exert more influence over the final choice, with a shortlist likely to be announced as early as next week.

The front runner for the vacant seat is believed to be Greg Beales, director of strategy and planning for Labour Party leader Ed Miliband.

Mr Beales is also a former advisor to the last Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown and a close friend of Geoffrey Robinson.

The Telegraph can reveal that Mr Beales is set to meet with senior Labour Party figures in Coventry next week in a bid to win support for his nomination.